21 days of FASTING and prayer 2018

If you sense that God has more for your life, then 21 Days of Fasting and Prayer is a great place to start believing Him for all He has for you.  As you practice seeking Him first, He will move on your behalf like never before.  You will start to see the power of fasting and prayer impact your relationships, work, family and every area of your life.  Whether you join us in person or online, we encourage you to be part of 21 Days of Fasting and Prayer.

Our 21 Days of Fasting and Prayer begins January 6th and ends January 26th.

Fasting

The goal of fasting is to draw near to God.  Biblical fasting always has to do with eliminating distraction for a spiritual purpose.  It hits the reset button of our soul and renews us from the inside out.  It also enable us to celebrate the goodness and mercy of God as we prepare our hearts for all the food things that God desires to bring into our lives.  Remember, your personal fast should present a level of challenge, but it is very important to know your body, your options and, most importantly, to seek God in prayer and follow what the Holy Spirit leads you to do.

types of fasts

complete fast

In this type of fast, you drink only liquids, typically water with some light juices as an option.

Selective Fast

This involves removing certain elements from your diet.  One example is called a Daniel Fast, during which you remove meat, sweets and bread from your diet and consume water or juice and vegetable for food.

partial fast

this is sometimes called a "Jewish Fast" and involves abstaining from eating any type of food in the morning and afternoon.  This can either correlate to specific times of the day, such as 6:00 am to 3:00 pm or from sunup to sundown.

Soul fast

this fast is a great option if you do not have much experience fasting food, have health issues that prevent you from fasting or if you wish to refocus certain areas of your life that are out of balance.  For example, you might choose to stop using social media or watching television for the duration of the fast and then carefully/prayerfully bring that element back into your life in healthy doses at the conclusion of your fast.

timing of a fast

At Newlife, we encourage fasting for 21 days each year in the month of January.  This is part of our 21 Days of Fasting and Prayer, a season of focused prayer as a church family.  You may also choose to fast at other times during the year for your own spiritual development.  It's very typical to fast a single meal, a whole day, or three days or more.  The timing of your fast is not as important as the strength of your focus on God as you fast.